Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish and French (and now, Esperanto!)

Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants
User avatar
philomath
Blue Belt
Posts: 741
Joined: Wed May 11, 2016 2:57 pm
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Intermediate/Advanced), French (Intermediate/Advanced), German (Beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 13#p235313
x 3039

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby philomath » Wed May 18, 2022 2:58 am

Success: I had a full conversation in French! Though it was a very small one.

First, though, a morning of awkward French encounters. We went to a couple of museums and a few people tried speaking to us in French. I either froze up or waited too long to reply, and then they switched to English. By the afternoon I was starting to feel really discouraged. I couldn’t tell if my problem was 1) not having enough vocabulary, 2) not understanding the quebecois accent, or 3) just being too nervous to talk to people face-to-face.

Finally we went to Planète BD, which is a store of bandes dessinées. This is where I finally had a full conversation in French! It was a very short conversation, but I still felt accomplished. I think I felt more confident because the man at the cash register seemed very friendly.

Him: Salut.
Me: Salut.
Him: Ça fait [however much money the book was].
Me: [Holds up credit card]
Him: Un sac ?
Me: Oui, merci.
Him: [Asks whether I’ve subscribed to their newsletter or whether I’d like to subscribe for free.]
Me: Non, merci. Je ne viens pas de Montréal.

I probably could’ve phrased that better, and I forgot to say “bonne journée” as I was leaving. But still, I did it!
13 x

User avatar
philomath
Blue Belt
Posts: 741
Joined: Wed May 11, 2016 2:57 pm
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Intermediate/Advanced), French (Intermediate/Advanced), German (Beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 13#p235313
x 3039

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby philomath » Thu May 19, 2022 7:23 pm

I'm back home! I really liked Montreal, even though I didn't speak French as much (or as well) as I hoped. Now that my trip is over, I was planning to pause French again and resume Spanish. However I know I’ll lose a lot of the progress I made with French. I think I should keep up my momentum and try to reach B2 in French before focusing on another language (or B2-ish, since I don’t plan on taking the exam). So that's what I'm going to do.

I still want to spend some time on Spanish though, so I can improve my speaking skills before my trip to Spain at the end of August. These are my Spanish goals for the rest of this month:

[ ] Practice speaking and/or writing for 3 hours.
[ ] Schedule some iTalki lessons for June.
[ ] Make a list of grammar topics to review.
[ ] Catch up on Anki reviews.
5 x

User avatar
philomath
Blue Belt
Posts: 741
Joined: Wed May 11, 2016 2:57 pm
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Intermediate/Advanced), French (Intermediate/Advanced), German (Beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 13#p235313
x 3039

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby philomath » Sun May 22, 2022 4:24 am

19May22–21May22

French
19May22: First I made Anki flashcards for some of the words I wrote down during my trip to Montreal, such as "la navette" and "le houblon". Then I started reading one of the bandes dessinées I bought, Adieu triste amour by Mirion Malle.

20May22: I finished reading Adieu triste amour. It was 204 pages, so 40 pages for the Super Challenge. I really liked it! For the first 30 pages or so, I made a list of all of the words that interested me, and then I got impatient and started reading more quickly. I really liked how natural the dialogue was—there were lots of abbreviations like "aprèm" for "après-midi", "ptêt" for "peut-être", etc. Also some quebecois phrases like "chum" and "pis".

Later, I listened to an episode of Ça s'explique and spent an hour writing in French. Overall it was a very productive day for me. :)

21May22: In the morning, I spent a few minutes pronouncing sentences on Speechling. I also did another section of Édito Unit 1 and reviewed how to conjugate verbs in the subjunctive.

At noon, I had a 30-minute lesson with the same iTalki teacher I met a few weeks ago. It was pretty fun and the 30 minutes flew by! We discussed the hot weather this week and different activities that one can do in quarantine: drawing, reflecting, writing, etc. I actually felt pretty satisfied with my speaking skills. After the lesson I made some flashcards and booked a 60-minute lesson for next time.
4 x

User avatar
philomath
Blue Belt
Posts: 741
Joined: Wed May 11, 2016 2:57 pm
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Intermediate/Advanced), French (Intermediate/Advanced), German (Beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 13#p235313
x 3039

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby philomath » Wed May 25, 2022 12:58 pm

22May22–24May22

Spanish
22May22: I spent some time chatting to myself in Spanish while cleaning. I was curious how my speaking skills had declined since I stopped studying Spanish a couple of months ago. Surprisingly I wasn't confusing it with French as much as I expected, but I think I will once I try talking about more complex topics.

French
22May22: I answered one of the writing prompts in Édito Unit 1 and posted it on iTalki. I also did some more quizzes on Kwiziq. It's been a while since I spent time on Kwiziq. I had gotten a little bit bored of the exercises, but now they've introduced the futur simple which I've never actually studied, so I've regained some interest.

23May22: I listened to an episode of the podcast Passages. I also continued reading Phobos. I'm on page 70 right now, but I've decided not to update the Super Challenge bot on Twitter until I finish the whole book; it's just easier that way.

24May22: The train was too noisy to listen to a podcast, so I did some more quizzes on Kwiziq during my commute. One thing that surprises me about Kwiziq is they haven’t had me review any topics that I previously “mastered”, even though I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things. I guess I’ll have to make time to review on my own. Anyway if there was too much spaced repetition I’d probably get bored.

On my commute home, I listened to an episode of "Ça s'explique". Then I listened to the beginning of the episode again and tried to write down the words that I didn't know.

Today a few people at work asked me about my knowledge of French. Apparently word has gotten out that I speak it (even though I keep saying I’m still learning!), so it’s likely that I’ll be chosen for this project that involves traveling to France. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Traveling to France sounds great, but renting a car and driving through France for business? Not so much. (I have a pretty strong fear of driving.) Also the kind of work I’d be doing isn’t really the kind that interests me. Still, it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. When I chose this field, I never imagined I’d get to do anything with languages!
9 x

User avatar
philomath
Blue Belt
Posts: 741
Joined: Wed May 11, 2016 2:57 pm
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Intermediate/Advanced), French (Intermediate/Advanced), German (Beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 13#p235313
x 3039

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby philomath » Fri May 27, 2022 1:11 pm

Some Thoughts on Balancing Hobbies
As usual, language-learning has been stealing time away from my other hobby, which is writing. I've been trying to balance the two for years, but it's pretty much impossible to fit both hobbies in every day. I just don't have the mental energy after work, or I have to neglect other things like exercising, spending time with my boyfriend, etc.

So yesterday I came up with a schedule for myself where I'll alternate between languages and writing for the rest of the year. For each block of time (several weeks), I'll have one main goal for the hobby I'm focusing on, as well as some very small goals for the other hobby in order to "maintain" it.

This won’t affect my language plans for the next six weeks, except that I’ve decided to aim to complete one unit of Édito B1 per week. This is a bit ambitious, but I think it’s doable since I won’t be trying to split my time between that and my writing projects.

After that, I’ll take a short break (2 weeks) from French to work on writing, then back to French, then a longer block for writing, and so on. I don’t want to pause French for too long until I reach B2, but I also feel guilty when I don’t write. Maybe one of these days I’ll just start writing in my target languages in order to multitask. :lol:

Does anyone else struggle with balancing hobbies like this? I’ve asked people in the online writing community and the consensus was basically “don’t have other hobbies if you’re serious about your writing”. That’s obviously not advice I want to follow!
10 x

jmar257
Green Belt
Posts: 268
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2020 2:41 pm
Location: USA
Languages: English (N), español (Intermediate), français (Lower Intermediate), deutsch (beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=15645
x 680

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby jmar257 » Fri May 27, 2022 1:24 pm

philomath wrote:Does anyone else struggle with balancing hobbies like this? I’ve asked people in the online writing community and the consensus was basically “don’t have other hobbies if you’re serious about your writing”. That’s obviously not advice I want to follow!

Absolutely, this is my constant battle. I feel like I don't do anything enough to get good as fast as I want, but I also recognize I will not be world class at any of them (nor do I want to be) and thus eschewing other hobbies isn't worth it (because I want to do all of them!). I kind of settled on what you stated, focusing on one for a short while and basically cycling them. That said, doing it in practice is another thing...and add in work, makes it even harder.
5 x
Feel free to give me corrections in any of my target languages!

jackb
Orange Belt
Posts: 243
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 2:04 pm
Languages: English (N), French (Intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12251
x 789

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby jackb » Fri May 27, 2022 2:51 pm

...“don’t have other hobbies if you’re serious about your writing”.

This isn't a helpful answer. The nerve of some people....Like most things, quality can beat quantity. You can be as serious as you want to be.

Maybe one of these days I’ll just start writing in my target languages in order to multitask.

This was my first thought. You might also be able to write something in one language and translate it into other or all of you languages, then back to the original. How are they different? Why? Sort of a reverse translation on steroids.

I try to multitask when possible. I can generally get some time everyday if I use french when doing something that would otherwise be unrelated to language learning. Putting together a cabinet: use the French instructions. To do lists at home or work: use French. Read news about the horrible things people do to each other: do it in French.

This may be much harder for you as you're learning multiple languages and do a fair amount of desk study/tutoring. This is an ongoing battle for most people. The important thing is to give go easy on yourself and have fun.
5 x

Van
White Belt
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:08 am
Location: Australia
Languages: English (N)
French (low intermediate B1)
German (beginner A2)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17374
x 124

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby Van » Fri May 27, 2022 11:36 pm

philomath wrote:Does anyone else struggle with balancing hobbies like this? I’ve asked people in the online writing community and the consensus was basically “don’t have other hobbies if you’re serious about your writing”. That’s obviously not advice I want to follow!

This is one of my biggest struggles! I find my job mentally draining and I've struggled to balance fulltime work with even the absolute basics like exercise, keeping up with housework and getting enough sleep, let alone any hobbies, and the weekends I spent recovering from the week. For me, it's more a lack of energy than a lack of time. I've actually gone part time at the beginning of the year for this reason and it's been life-changing and worth the pay cut - 8 hours extra time a week means I'm doing these basics and I can fit in a hobby. But even still to balance several hobbies would need excellent time management (I'm still trying to work on this). And the more time I have, the more I want to do! Currently I'm trying out doing French during the work week and other hobbies on the weekend.

Another thing I need to take into account is that for more creative hobbies (for me one of my hobbies is painting and I imagine your writing would be the similar) I need to spend enough time without stimulation to be inspired and spark creativity so if I'm cramming French input into every minute of down time then I'm not giving myself enough "mental space" and this will affect my creative pursuits.
5 x
French Super Challenge 2022/2023:
: 18 / 100 Books
: 13 / 100 Films

jmar257
Green Belt
Posts: 268
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2020 2:41 pm
Location: USA
Languages: English (N), español (Intermediate), français (Lower Intermediate), deutsch (beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=15645
x 680

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby jmar257 » Sat May 28, 2022 12:12 am

Van wrote:This is one of my biggest struggles! I find my job mentally draining and I've struggled to balance fulltime work with even the absolute basics like exercise, keeping up with housework and getting enough sleep, let alone any hobbies, and the weekends I spent recovering from the week. For me, it's more a lack of energy than a lack of time. I've actually gone part time at the beginning of the year for this reason and it's been life-changing and worth the pay cut - 8 hours extra time a week means I'm doing these basics and I can fit in a hobby.

(Sorry to keep derailing your log Amanda) I'm happy you've found that and one of the biggest things I noticed post-covid for me was working from home. I still go to the office a few days a week, but I will not be taking another job that requires 5 days in, ever (thankfully my line of work is one that can be done remote). Honestly, I'd look for a full-time remote gig if it weren't for some specific, amazing benefits my job right now has :lol: But yes, that ability to knock out the dishes and some housework, or whatever errands you have in the middle of a Wednesday instead of cramming it in "your time" on the evenings or weekends is great. Not to mention filling the cracks in the day with language learning or another hobby. It was like a weight off my shoulders I didn't even know was there.
5 x
Feel free to give me corrections in any of my target languages!

User avatar
philomath
Blue Belt
Posts: 741
Joined: Wed May 11, 2016 2:57 pm
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Intermediate/Advanced), French (Intermediate/Advanced), German (Beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 13#p235313
x 3039

Re: Amanda's 2022 Log: Spanish, French, and Italian

Postby philomath » Sat May 28, 2022 6:47 pm

jackb wrote:
Maybe one of these days I’ll just start writing in my target languages in order to multitask.

This was my first thought. You might also be able to write something in one language and translate it into other or all of you languages, then back to the original. How are they different? Why? Sort of a reverse translation on steroids.

Actually this gave me an idea: I like to write detailed outlines for my writing projects, so why not try writing them in French? I'm sure I'll learn a lot of new words that way.

Van wrote:Another thing I need to take into account is that for more creative hobbies (for me one of my hobbies is painting and I imagine your writing would be the similar) I need to spend enough time without stimulation to be inspired and spark creativity so if I'm cramming French input into every minute of down time then I'm not giving myself enough "mental space" and this will affect my creative pursuits.

Yes, that's exactly my problem! I wonder if meditating or something would help.
3 x


Return to “Language logs”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests